Fact Check : Just now my friend received a call from 912250041117 asking him to press 1 if he had vaccinated
On May 22, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) warned citizens about bogus calls from the number “912250041117” claiming to be for vaccine inoculation feedback. A Whatsapp forward has also been circulating, warning that if a call is received from this person, phones may be hacked. The PIB fact-check clarified that this is not the case, as the government uses the official number “1921” to collect comments on the COVID-19 immunisation process.
Scam Alert
People are receiving #COVID19Vaccine feedback calls from "912250041117". A WhatsApp forward says answering the call can hack phone#PIBFactCheck
▶️This is a #Fraud call
▶️"1921" is number used by Govt. of India for #COVID19Vaccine feedback🔗https://t.co/fpjhTtTpIx pic.twitter.com/f67YhXqlXV
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) May 22, 2021
The Government of India announced in January, shortly after the vaccination programme began in the country, that the ‘Rapid Assessment System (RAS)’ technique is used to collect input from those who have been vaccinated. The platform was created by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The Government of India uses this platform to improve the immunisation experience for Indian citizens.
Platform RAS
The platform has already sent SMSes to those who are receiving vaccinations, and it has a system in place to collect feedback on the push. RAS sends a unique URL to people who have been vaccinated’s registered cellphone numbers and asks a series of questions to which citizens must respond yes or no. ‘An outbound call is initiated from “1921” asking feedback if the user responds to the specified URL.’
The MEITY platform’s major purpose is to continuously monitor and improve the user experience through both online and offline means. Citizens receive a reaction to their comments as soon as they use a government eService for better service delivery.
